High Levels of C-Reactive Protein Are Positively Associated with Isolated Postchallenge Hyperglycemia in Postmenopausal Women

Background: Isolated postchallenge hyperglycemia (IPH) is an early form of type 2 diabetes with fasting glucose <126 mg/dL and 2-hr postchallenge glucose ≥200 mg/dL. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with IPH. Methods: We recruited 476 naturally postmenopausal women without a history of diabetes mellitus for the study. Fasting blood samples were collected for the measurements of hsCRP and biochemistry. All participants received a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test to examine if they had IPH. The relative contributions of body mass index (BMI) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) to the association of hsCRP with IPH were evaluated by logistic regression. Results: There was an increasing trend in prevalence of IPH with increasing quartiles of hsCRP (2.9%, 3.6%, 5.9%, and 7.6% in quartile 1-4, respectively) (P = 0.001). BMI and HOMA-IR were the most important determinants of hsCRP in this cohort. We observed a significant and positive association between high hsCRP levels and IPH in our subjects. Compared with subjects in the lowest quartile group, individuals with high levels of hsCRP (the 3rd and the 4th quartiles) were 2-2.5 times more likely associated with IPH, before and after adjustments for BMI and HOMA-IR values (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that chronic inflammation, measured by elevated serum hsCRP levels, was positively associated with IPH in postmenopausal women. This finding was independent of obesity and insulin resistance.